Greenville, SC, is one of the fastest growing areas in state, and the I-385 connector from I-85 to downtown Greenville has become a traffic problem.
According to the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), I-385 currently averages 60,000 vehicles per day, and engineers project that number to increase to 92,000 by 2020. The SCDOT felt that additional lanes would provide increased capacity allowing for a safer and more efficient operation, thus reducing accidents and delays. The widening project includes the installation of concrete median barriers to help prevent crossover collisions.
The I-385 Widening Project, located east of the city of Greenville, SC, will include the widening of 5.8 mi. (9.3 km) of roadway from I-85 to west of the U.S. 276 interchange. It also will include the replacement of several bridges, widening of others and the reworking of several interchanges.
According to SCDOT, several bridges and interchanges will be involved in this project. “The Hillside Road and The Lowndes Hill Road overpasses will be completely replaced to provide adequate clearance for widening I-385. The SC 276 [Laurens Road/Stone Avenue], SC291 [Pleasantburg Drive] and S-273 [Haywood Road] bridges will be completely replaced to provide adequate clearance and capacity. Improvements also will be made to the Northeast Loop of the I-85/I-385 interchanges to improve safety and reduce accidents.”
Bids for the construction on the project were received by SCDOT March 13, 2001. Blythe Construction Inc., of Charlotte, NC, was awarded the contract in April 2001 with construction to begin June 2001. The projected completion date for the project is the summer of 2004.
Kevin S. Green, senior project manager, has been in the construction field since 1987 and with Blythe Construction Inc., since 1995. His office is located at 211 Century Dr. in Greenville, close to the SC-291 construction. He is responsible for an average of 60 to 70 workers on site plus subcontractors. Blythe’s average monthly payroll for this project is $150,000 to $200,000.
Green said his primary challenge on this project is dealing with subcontractors. Federal and state requirements call for an 11-percent minority bid level, which must be met.
According to Green, many subcontractors will bid their portion of the job and then are unable to fulfill their contract. The overall project is in excess of $70 million with $30 million being paid out to subcontractors.
“A number of minority subcontract bidders are not prepared for a project of this dimension and are unable to keep up with the daily schedule. Once the contractor falls behind, this in turn puts other contractors on hold and delays their schedule,” he said.
“Many of the subcontractors will bid on a job like this and then try to continue working other jobs at the same time. They cannot employ enough workers and when they hire extra workers, they have to lay them off as soon as their portion of the project is completed. The main problem is that they either don’t have enough money or enough personnel to hold up their end of the contract,” he added.
Another challenge is the ability to hire qualified personnel for certain jobs. As Green said, “You don’t want to hire some inexperienced worker for bridge work and have them drop a tool or something on a citizen driving under or around the construction site.”
A great deal of earth moving is involved with more than 250,000 cu. yds. (191,139 cu m) of cut soil and 200,000 cu. yds. (152,911 cu m) of borrow soil being moved. Two hundred twelve thousand sq. ft. (19,695 sq m) of Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) will have been used in side banks. Fifty-thousand lineal feet (15,240 m) of concrete median barrier will be poured and more than 11,000 cu. yds. (8,410 cu m) of concrete are involved in bridge construction.
Current equipment utilized on site includes three Caterpillar 12H motorgraders, two Komatsu 300s, one Komatsu 230, one John Deere 230 and one Komatsu 220. Crews also are using a Link-Belt LS 138 and two Link-Belt 880s plus Caterpillar and Komatsu loaders. The majority of equipment used on site is company owned with one loader and one backhoe on rental. The majority of the trucks used on site for earth moving are by contract.
Blythe maintains a repair and service shop in Greenville, SC. Green said that his equipment was operating at an 85- to 90-percent efficiency level. Equipment costs average $120,000 to $150,000 per month.
Blythe employees are doing the grading and all bridgework. Of the $40-million portion of the project charged to Blythe Construction, $15 million of that goes to bridge construction, $10 million is for grading and $15 million goes to asphalt. Blythe Construction Inc., operates its own asphalt plant within 5 mi. (8 km) of the project.
Much of the project is either on schedule or ahead of schedule. Shoulder work was scheduled to begin in the summer of 2001 and completed during the spring of 2003. This portion is on schedule. Median work follows the same schedule and also is on time. The Hillside Drive, Roper Mountain Road Bridge was scheduled for closing and replacement during the summer and winter of 2001 but is behind schedule due to local resistance and discussions by citizen groups in the area. Some wanted the road closed and the bridge not replaced to prevent traffic from increasing in their neighborhoods. After a number of community meetings, it was decided to continue the replacement of the bridge. This project is currently ongoing.
The Pleasantburg Drive Bridge was scheduled for two phases — first closing and replacing the north side of the bridge (now completed) and then closing and replacing the south side. This project is ongoing and scheduled for completion this year. The Laurens Ridge interchange ramps and Laurens Road bridges are slated to start in the summer of 2003 with completion by the summer of 2004. This portion of the project has already begun with two flat bridges and one small bridge, as well as one bridge over Laurens Road.
Median grading and storm drainage work in the median areas is underway. Barrier walls are in place and traffic has been shifted to the inside lanes.
Blythe Construction contracts with a local wrecker company for on-site service. The wrecker is available during all hours and is used in case of a breakdown or wreck in the construction area. This cost is paid for by Blythe and is free to anyone involved.
Blythe also contracts for State Patrol services on-site thus maintaining a constant flow of traffic during high-congestion periods. Having the South Carolina Highway Patrol (SCHP) and a wrecker on site in the event of a traffic accident allows for the prompt removal of any vehicle and the proper handling of accident reports. The SCHP officer also provides for traffic control as needed and the apprehension of speeders in the worksite. SCDOT will place additional traffic surveillance cameras along the construction site to help manage traffic flow and provide for faster emergency response.
Green said that the nighttime work was best for the company because there is virtually no traffic during the late hours.
South Carolina has a 45 mph speed limit in construction zones and enforces this whenever possible. According to Green, the county police did a blitz in the area and wrote more than 150 tickets in less than four hours.
“My main safety problem comes from the public’s use of the roads and not from job hazards. We have an excellent safety record with no major accidents this past year,” Green noted.
Blythe Construction utilizes its own safety personnel and OSHA compliance inspections are done on a regular basis.
Construction impact on traffic in the area has been somewhat of a hassle to drivers during peak times but most drivers have said that Blythe Construction is doing as good a job as possible to keep the traffic flowing. Traffic has been shifted to the north half of the new bridge at Pleasantburg Drive and I-385.
Construction work on the Haywood Road Bridge will not begin before January 2003. Utility relocation is in the process of completion at the Laurens Road Interchange and bridge construction there will begin in early 2003. The Hillside Bridge is closed and construction is under way at that location. New retaining walls of mechanically stabilized earth are being constructed in the embankments along Woodlark Drive.
“All in all, I am very satisfied with the way the project is moving and the workers on site are doing an excellent job,” Green said.
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